For three days last week Republican activists in Orlando heard an unrelenting stream of taunts, slams and jokes against President Barack Obama, a feast served by the candidates who want to replace him.

Raucous cheers followed. But some left Presidency 5 wondering if it was too much of a good thing.

"I don't like the Obama bashing," said Judy Gordon, a Tampa retiree. "I can figure that out for myself. I want to hear what people are going to do. People want answers, and they want solutions."

The sentiment was driven home by Herman Cain's shocking straw poll victory over front-runners Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. Delegates said they were drawn to Cain's "9-9-9" tax reform plan and his call to overhaul Social Security by using a model from Chile.

Most of all, people were drawn to his enthusiasm. While his rivals slung mud, Cain inspired with a booming voice and a preacher's cadences, implicitly offering to lift people up in a down economy.

Few expect Cain to go much farther, but his win emphasized worries among some Republicans that a good chance to win the White House could be squandered by a flurry of anti-Obama negativity. (story here)

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